Going ashore:
A Walk To Seven Mile Beach
Getting to one of Grand Cayman's popular attractions
by
Richard H. Wagner
page 2
 Above: A sign marking one of the public access paths to the beach.
Below: The first beach that you come to is pretty but the waters surrounding it are rocky.   Seven Mile Beach from its southern end (above) and looking south from further along the beach (below)
 The clear water lapping near a pair of sand castles (above).
Trees along the beach provide shade as well as focal points . (below).  |
The The first beach that you come to is rather small and more rocky than those further along the road. Not surprisingly, the nicer, white sand beaches are behind the resorts that begin to line the road as you get further from George Town.
Once on Seven Mile Beach, you can walk until you find an area that you like. Despite its name, the beach is actually only about five and a half miles long. The beach itself is soft white sand. Tall coconut palms provide shade here and there. The water is clear and even in January it can be pleasantly warm. Most of the beach chairs and facilities along the beach belong to the properties that border the beach and their use is restricted to the residents and guests of those properties. There are reportedly places to rent chairs but I did not notice any during my walk along the beach. Thus, to be sure that you do not end up sitting directly on the sand, bring a beach towel from the ship. Also, bring a swim suit as nudity is not allowed. There are several restaurants that are open to the public in the resorts as well as public beach bars. Peddlers are not allowed on the beach so you should not be disturbed by over-eager entrepaneurs trying to sell you something. Going back was quicker than getting there. I knew where I was going by then. Still, it was a good 20 minutes. Was it worthwhile walking to the beach? I enjoy walking and exploring, so I am glad that I did it. Would I do it again is a more difficult question. From a financial perspective, you do not save very much per person. The taxis at the pier and those that stopped along the way to ask if they could be of service were quoting four to five dollars a head to go to the beach. Even if the quotes were in Cayman dollars, which are currently more valuable than U.S. dollars, that is not very much. For a group or large family, the savings, of course, would be greater. In any event, the financial savings have to be balanced against the beach time lost. It takes more time to walk to the beach than to take a taxi. (A taxi ride takes about 10 minutes). Of course, the taxi drivers like to fill their vans with passengers before they leave the pier so there can be some time lost waiting around using that method of transportation. Walking to the beach does provide exercise. But I think it would have been more enjoyable walking further along the sandy beach with the waves breaking over my feet than walking along the road. 
Going home, there is always the local bus (above). The buses are vans that are labeled "bus." The stops along the road are marked.
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Cruise ship articles - - A Walk To Seven Mile Beach - - page 2